


A Year That Will Lead to Many More

by ericsonclan



Series: OG World [49]
Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: Anniversary, Canon Relationships, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Piano, Post-Canon, Pretzels, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-05
Updated: 2020-09-05
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:15:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26309899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ericsonclan/pseuds/ericsonclan
Summary: Clementine and Louis get ready to spend their one year anniversary together.
Relationships: AJ & Willy (Walking Dead: Done Running), Aasim/Ruby (Walking Dead: Done Running), Clementine/Louis (Walking Dead: Done Running)
Series: OG World [49]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1815361
Kudos: 15





	A Year That Will Lead to Many More

**Author's Note:**

> (By Linnea)

Clementine could feel her excitement bubbling in her gut when she got up. Carefully, she moved Louis’ arm that was wrapped around her waist and shifted her weight to get to the corner of the bed. Louis let out a small mumble in his sleep, blindly reaching out before rolling over to face the dresser and falling back asleep. His dreadlocks gently moved with his breathing. Clementine grabbed her prosthetic that lay against the bed frame, her fingers moving to secure it around her stump. 

She had had many months with this prosthetic so the simple act of putting in on each morning had turned into just that: simple. Long gone were the days that she struggled desperately to learn to attach it properly and the days where her sweat ran down her face as she winced through the pain of learning to walk again. But each step of the way Louis had been there to help her. He had always been there for her. Her eyes wandered over to her boyfriend, a warm, fuzzy feeling dancing in her heart when she looked at him. She couldn’t believe the day had finally arrived. Today marked the one year anniversary since they got together.

If someone had told her that around a year ago that she would have a home for her and AJ where she’d find a family and someone as special as Louis... well, Clementine had never believed that she could achieve something like this. It hadn’t even been a possibility in her mind. Survival had always been the only constant in her life save for AJ. But now she had so much more and for that she’d be eternally grateful. 

After attaching the last strap on her prosthetic she rose up, getting the balance right for a second before walking forward. Quietly she walked over to her boyfriend and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead, Louis shifted in his sleep, a goofy grin on his face. A small chuckle escaped Clementine’s lips as she turned to the door to start the day. Her eyes looked down at her old backpack, a small, nervous feeling swirling in her stomach. She knew she shouldn’t be worried. They should still be in the bag and there was no way Louis would find the surprise in that hiding spot. She kneeled down and threw back the bag’s cover, revealing a handkerchief. Clementine’s hands brushed back the fabric that held the homemade pretzels she had made. They probably tasted like ass. There was very little you could do to make a decent pretzel in the apocalypse, especially when you didn't have any yeast to use. Clementine hid the pretzels again and rose to her feet. No point stressing about it. They should taste… passable. She hadn’t bothered to taste them in fear that it would dishearten her and make her throw away weeks of effort. 

Besides the others had helped make sure she kept this a surprise from Louis who had become more and more antsy with excitement as the date approached. His eyes would dance with joy while he tried to find the secret surprise only to clam up and get just as protective when Clem tried to look for the surprise she was sure Louis was saving for their anniversary. Clementine opened the door, closing it softly behind her, then made her way outside to start the day’s chores. The bright light of the morning sun made her close her eyes for a moment before blinking a few times to adjust them. She made her way through the courtyard, receiving a small wave from Omar and a kind, warm good morning from Ruby. Violet was busy talking with Aasim while Willy was jumping down for the watch tower with about as much gracefulness as she’d expect. She looked around the school she had grown to love with such a deep fondness that she failed to notice AJ running towards her until he barreled into her with a hug. 

“Clem! You’re up,” AJ pulled away to flash a happy smile up at Clementine before his face scrunched in confusion. “Where’s Louis?”

“Still sleeping.” Clementine smiled down at AJ.

“Not for long!” Willy exclaimed, appearing out of nowhere, his gap tooth smile prominent on his face. A level of mischievousness was in his eyes.

“Can we wake him up?” AJ bounced on the balls of his feet, swaying back and forth in place.

“Sure, you can help too if you want, Willy.”

Willy and AJ shared an excited look and were off like shots before Clementine could change her mind. Not that she would; it was always entertaining to see what new ways AJ and Willy would come up with to wake up Louis. She walked over and sat down at the picnic table where Ruby was finishing the last few chores she needed to do for breakfast prep. 

“Need any help?” Clementine leaned forward with a happy smile. 

Ruby looked up with a warm smile. “Aww, I appreciate the offer, Clem, but I got it. In fact,” Ruby sliced through the last ingredient, “I’ve just finished up.” She handed off her finished work to Omar who had an appreciative smile on his face as he took it and added it to the pot to cook. 

“It should be ready in a few minutes,” Omar looked over at Clementine who nodded.

“Alright. Well-”

She was cut off when the door to the dorms loudly opened followed by Willy and AJ who were laughing as they pushed Louis out the door. He still looked groggy from being woken up suddenly. He shook his head good naturedly while the boys continued to push him forward. “Alright, I’m up, I’m up.” He laughed and looked towards the picnic table, a bright smile appearing on his face when he saw Clem. With a quick, light jog he reached his girlfriend and placed a loving kiss on her cheek. “Morning, Clem, happy one year anniversary!” He sat down next to her and immediately intertwined his fingers with hers. 

“Morning, Louis,” Clementine could feel her heart practically melt whenever she saw that bright smile of his. 

“Breakfast’s ready!” Omar called out, drawing the others to the table. The table was instantly filled with different conversations and laughter. Louis took it upon himself to recall the tale of how he was awakened today with AJ and Willy chiming in from time to time. Apparently this time they had used the classic one two of AJ shaking Louis wildly as he continued to refuse to wake up before Willy ripped quite a potent fart, causing Louis to wake up immediately. The story was met with mixed reactions, Clem and Violet seemed to enjoy the tale - Violet mainly for the way Louis was woken up - while Ruby seemed to disapprove of Willy’s ‘special’ method of waking someone up.

“Don’t worry, Ruby, I’ll never do it to you,” Willy smiled over at the redhead.

“You’d regret that choice right away,” Violet added. Aasim nodded in agreement. Soon the meal was over and after Violet and Clem had finished up washing the dishes Louis and Aasim went to check some of the traps for the day.

“Be careful,” Clementine leaned forward, stepping on her tippy toes to capture Louis’ lips in a quick kiss. 

“Don’t worry, babe, I will be. I am a ninja after all,” Louis struck a pose while Chairles lay on his shoulder. AJ quickly joined in on the pose, causing Clementine to join in as well. 

Aasim shook his head. “Come on, Louis, let’s go.” He looked over towards Ruby with a soft smile. “I’ll be back soon.” He gave her hand a quick squeeze before turning to leave. Louis planted a fast kiss on Clem’s lips then with a final wave the pair was off. 

Ruby turned to Clem. “Ready for greenhouse duty?”

“Can’t wait,” Clementine smiled at her friend and started to lead the way towards the greenhouse.

“Excited for tonight?” Ruby glanced over at Clementine.

“Yeah, we’re just planning to spend time in the music room. Willy and AJ are planning to have a sleepover in Willy’s room so it will give us some alone time.” Clementine walked forward through the open greenhouse door that Ruby held. 

“That sounds grand. I’m sure he’ll like the surprise you have in store. You've been working hard with Omar to get those pretzels right.”

Clementine’s face turned a bit worried at those words. “I don’t know. I hope they taste okay.”

“Aww, Sug, I’m sure they will. Now we can talk some more while we work.” Ruby rolled up her sleeves. 

“Right,” Clementine walked over to grab one of the baskets for their fresh produce. The two worked together, talking here and there about this and that. Some conversations had to do with Louis and some not. 

After a few hours of work, Ruby rose up from her spot and using the back of her hand wiped away the sweat. “Well, I’d say that’s not a bad day’s work.” She smiled over at Clem. “Say, when is your watch duty?”

“Not till before dinner.” Clementine responded, rising up as well and brushing off the dirt on her hands. 

“How about we get some flowers to pretty up the music room for tonight?” Ruby’s suggestion made Clementine’s eyes light up with enthusiasm. 

“That sounds amazing!” With that the pair went to the science room in the back. Clementine could tell that both she and Ruby were on edge when they entered the room at first. That day with Ms. Martin was still prominent in the back of their minds. But soon they were able to push past that and gather some of the soft, light purple flowers and striking yellow ones. Lastly they moved back into the greenhouse, grabbing some sunchoke stems. The flowers on them had always reminded Clementine of Louis and his warm, freckled face. With flowers in hand, Clementine and Ruby walked out and strolled back to the courtyard. Clementine’s eyes traveled up the sky that was still a calming light blue, a small smile pulling on the corners of her lips. She still had time to place them in the music room. 

With that thought in mind, Clementine walked up the stairs of the admin building, turning sharply to the right when she entered and wandering over to the music building. Her mind traveled back to the first day she had met Louis. The beautiful melody he was playing trapped within the untuned chords of the piano, how he smiled when he saw her, the way he so naturally got along with AJ. The fact that he played the one song with her name in it. Clementine shook her head and chuckled as she grabbed the different containers and vases. Moving in between the water basin outside and the music room, she soon got all the flowers in water and displayed them around the room. After giving the room one final look around, Clementine walked outside to see that Aasim and Louis had made it back. Louis immediately perked up when he saw her, his usual charismatic smile seeming even brighter when his eyes fell upon hers. 

“Hey, how was hunting today?’ Clementine walked over to greet him.

“Well, turns out my traps still are the best in all of Ericson,” Louis smiled proudly at the two rabbits slung over his shoulder. 

Clementine looked at Louis and noticed that one of his hands was tucked behind his back. He seemed to pick up on her attention to detail right away. “For you, my darling,” He held forward a few flowers, as blue and delicate as the sky. 

Clementine delicately held them in hands, a happy smile appearing on her lips. 

Louis silently took one of the flowers and placed it behind Clem’s ear. 

The gesture made Clementine’s heart skip and her cheeks grow warm.

He then leaned forward and kissed the tip of her nose. “Should probably give the rabbits to Omar before he gets grumpy. Louis gave Clementine’s hand a quick squeeze before jogging over to Omar. Clementine watched in amusement as the pair of friends bantered over the game Louis had brought back before she headed off to watch duty.  
After a while of food prep and cooking, dinner was ready and everyone soon gathered round, sitting and laughing once more. As always Omar’s cooking was top notch and with the newest additions of herbs from the last caravan it really brought the stew to even further heights.

“So, are you ready for tonight, Clem?” Louis wiggled his eyebrow playfully. “Because tonight I’m going to blow your mind.” His sentence nearly made Clementine choke on her food. 

“Gross,” Violet mumbled into her stew, causing Louis to grow aware of how his words could be taken a certain way.

“No, I didn’t mean it like that!” Louis started to get self-conscious. “I was talking about the games and other stuff I have planned.”

“Sure,” Violet smirked, getting up before Louis could defend himself any longer. “I’m gonna head in.”

“Let’s go too, AJ!” Willy jumped up from his spot and snatched up his dirty bowl. “We’re gonna build the best pillow fort of all time!”  
AJ’s eyes lip up with excitement at those words. “We can use Louis’ secret stash of pillows!”

“My secret what now?” Louis looked up from his stew but the boys were already off, laughing and sprinting towards the dorm building, not paying any attention to Ruby’s words about slowing down. “Well, I should probably prepare the music room. I’ll see you there in a few,” He leaned over and planted a kiss on Clem’s cheek before strolling over to the admin building, his tailcoats swaying as he walked. 

Clementine took a few minutes to finish her food and wish the others goodnight. After a quick stop to grab her bag and to place away the flowers given to her by Louis, Clementine’s feet guided her towards the admin building, walking down the hallways covered in mildew, vines and boarded up windows. Her heartbeat quickened as an excited smile played on her lips. She was looking forward to spending an evening with Louis. 

As she pushed open the slightly ajar door she noticed Louis lighting up the last few candles around the piano. He turned when he heard the door open, a big, goofy smile appearing on his lips when he saw her. Blowing out the match, he strolled over and wrapped Clementine in his arms, capturing her lips in a long, warm kiss. Clementine felt like she could melt into that kiss, forget everything else and just live in it until their lips pulled apart.

“So, ready to kick off our anniversary celebration with a heated game of Twenty Questions?” Louis smiled down at her. 

“You better get ready to lose,” Clementine had a confident smirk on her face as she sat down.

“Quite the declaration,” Louis sat down across from her, a warm, happy smile on his face.

“It’s the truth,” Clementine leaned back on her arms, looking at her boyfriend who seemed to be getting just as competitive about this.

“Well, we’ll see about that after you try and crack through my impenetrable mind and guess my first one.”

“Okay, is it an animal?”

“Nope,” 

“Is it a thing?” Clementine leaned forward, already getting swept up in the game. 

“Yep.”

“Is it in this room?” Clementine already knew the answer by the look in Louis’ eyes.

“Yeeesh.” Louis tried not to lock eyes with Clementine; she always seemed to be able to pick up on his answer quicker that way. Instead his eyes naturally wandered over to the object he was thinking about: the piano. Clementine followed his gaze before he could look away and with a smug smile she gave her guess.

“Is it the piano?”

“Yes, damn it. Curse me and my love for the piano. It was simply too beautiful not to steal a glance at.”

Clementine gave a light-hearted chuckle. “Well, it looks like I’m the real master of games in this relationship.”

Louis tutted and waved his fingers back and forth before looking at his girlfriend with a playful smile. “That was just a warmup.”

“Oh, was it?” Clementine’s smile mirrored her boyfriend’s. “And here I thought you’d go all in on the first one.”

“Well, I am on this one. So ask away.” Louis leaned back on his arms, an overly confident smile on his lips. 

“Okay, is it a thing?”

“Yes.”

“Is it in this room?”

“Yes.”

“Is it bigger than... “ Clementine looked around the room, trying to find a good item to use for size comparison, “A candle?”

“No,” Louis leaned forward, bouncing slightly in his spot. He was enjoying the fact that she hadn’t figured it out yet.

“Does it ever leave this room?”

“Yes,” 

Clementine’s eyes narrowed. The way Louis was acting made her think that he really had some trick up his sleeve. “Does this thing have a specific color?

“Yes.”

Clementine continued to ask question after question but it only seemed to make things more confusing. It was smaller than a candle, had a specific color, left this room but always seemed to move around, never staying in one location. When she had reached her limit of questions, Clementine placed a hand on her chin, trying to think of what it could be.   
“Is it the flower in my hair?” Clementine’s hand moved up to display the flower.

Louis whistled, impressed by the answer. “Great answer, Clem, but no, It was your eyes.”

“My eyes?” Clementine looked confused. “How was I supposed to get that?”

“By asking the right questions. You are the game master after all,” Louis had a teasing expression on his face.

“Oh I know, and this one will prove it. Go ahead, ask away,” Clementine crossed her arms, a competitive smile on her face.

“Okay, is it an animal?”

“No.”

“Vegetable?”

“Nope,” Clementine shook her head.

“Thing?”

“Yes.”

“Is it outside this room?”

“Yes.”

Louis studied Clementine’s face. “Is it inside this room too?”

“Yep.”

“Is it bigger than a candle?”

“Yes.”

“Hmmm, can you sit on it?”

“Nope.”

Louis tapped a finger on his chin. This was going to be tough. He continued to ask questions, throwing in a guess here and there but they weren’t it. 

“Alright that’s twenty. Any guesses?” Clementine leaned forward.

“Is it... ummm, I don’t know. A picture frame?”

“Nope, it’s air.”

“Air? Really, Clem? How was I supposed to get that?” 

“By asking the right questions,” 

Louis shook his head. “Well, I guess it’s a tie so far.”

“Not for long.” Clementine had a smug look on her face; Louis‘ face matched hers. The two continued to play for a while, both getting some right and some wrong. Some of their answers were really creative while others not so much. After a heated round where Louis guessed what Clementine’s item was correctly (a spoon) they decided to take a break. 

“Oh, damn it,” Louis’ face fell. “I forgot to bring some snacks.”

“That’s okay,” Clementine rose up to her feet and started to make her way over to her backpack that lay against the wall. “This actually works out well.” She grabbed the handkerchief, making Louis’ eyebrows rise, his curiosity building up inside him at what was in it. “So I don’t know if they’re any good, but I made pretzels,” Clementine sat down, placing the handkerchief down before tossing it open and revealing rather dark-looking pretzels. 

“You made these yourself?’ Louis looked up in awe at his girlfriend. 

“Omar and the others helped me. It took a lot of work and many failed attempts, but yeah. I hope they taste okay.”

“Only one way to test it,” Louis grabbed two pretzels, handing one to Clementine. He held up his pretzel. “To the first of many anniversaries.”

Clementine’s smile grew at those words. “Of many more to come,” 

The two clinked their pretzels together before tossing them in their mouths. It became clear immediately just how bad these pretzels had turned out. Louis struggled to break through the pretzel, his teeth pressing down with their full force, only breaking through after several seconds. Once he did his mouth was filled with a dry, chalky taste. He chewed thoughtfully, taking his time to make sure no big pieces would get stuck in his throat. When he did, a faint, lingering smoky flavor filled his mouth.

Clementine finished hers, making a face that made it clear that she hadn’t enjoyed it. “Well, those were a bust.”

“Au contraire, I think these are the best pretzels I’ve ever had.” Louis chucked two more in his mouth. Loud, sharp crunching sounds emitted from it as he struggled to break down the pretzels enough to consume. He swallowed deeply, giving a happy smile. “I swear on my piano that they are,” He placed his hand over his heart while lifting his other up. 

Clementine smiled over at her boyfriend. Louis was a terrible liar, but it was sweet that he was making such an effort to make sure she didn’t feel down about it. 

“Speaking of pianos, I think it's about time I share my surprise of the evening.” Louis walked over to the piano and with a dramatic flair brushed his tailcoats back and sat down. He smiled over at Clementine, patting the spot next to him. Clementine accepted the offer and slid down on the piano stool next to her boyfriend. Louis took a deep breath before placing his fingers on the appropriate keys. Gently he started to play the song. 

It only took a second for Clementine to realize that it was one she’d never heard before, one she was sure he’d spent countless hours and sleepless nights perfecting for this special occasion. Louis’ fingers brushed against the keys, starting a soft, gentle melody, hopeful and curious. After a few notes the tone changed, growing stronger in those emotions before turning more bittersweet. Invoking so many different emotions that were constantly battling each other before changing once again to a brighter, stronger and more passionate version of the beginning of the song. The room filled with the warm, touching melody as the candlelight danced across Louis and Clementine’s faces.Clementine’s head rested on his shoulder while Louis’ fingers danced across the keys, pouring all of his emotions into the song before hitting the final key. The note rang out in the music room, filling the air with a bright, joyful feeling. Louis looked over at Clementine with a nervous smile. “There we go - first time played. It’s been a piece I’ve been working on for a few months,” Louis awkwardly scratched the back of his head. 

“It was beautiful. I loved it,” Clementine smiled up at Louis who seemed overjoyed by that.

“I’m glad. I wanted to capture all of the emotions that fit its namesake: Family.”

“It was perfect,” Clementine’s hand found Louis’, her fingers wrapping in his warm embrace. She looked deeply into Louis’ eyes. She really couldn’t believe how lucky she was to be able to find Louis. In a world filled with hatred and greed, she had somehow found a bright, warm light in Louis. 

It had been a year since they had gotten together yet time had flown by and stopped when she found him. Her eyes wandered down to his lips before going back to his rich, brown eyes. Leaning off the piano stool, she captured his lips in a warm, passionate kiss. Louis immediately leaned into the kiss, his hands reaching up and cupping her face. Time froze in that moment, the couple sharing a kiss that felt like it overwhelmed them while centering them at the same time. It was only when they needed a moment to breathe that they pulled apart. Louis had the same goofy smile on his face that he had the first time that they had shared a kiss.

“Clem,” Louis took both of her hands into his. “Thank you for coming into my life. Every day feels like a gift.”

Clementine smiled brightly at Louis before lifting up his hands and placing a kiss on them. “I feel the same about you. I’m so happy I found you, Louis.”

Louis’ face grew warm at those words and he quickly captured another quick kiss. The two continued to talk throughout the night, eventually ending up on one of the music room couches. Clementine’s prosthetic leg lay against the couch while she cuddled closer to Louis.

“Well, not bad for our first anniversary.” Louis whispered down to Clem who hummed in agreement. “Next year’s is gonna have a hard time living up to this one.”

“Don’t worry - I already have ideas for next year’s that will kick this year’s ass.” Clementine lifted her head up from Louis’ chest with a warm smile.

Louis chuckled at that statement. “Can't wait,” He became silent after that, his expression more serious, thoughtful. “You know, back when we played cards for the first time and you answered that I’d be the first one to die, I agreed with you. I really thought that eventually my time would run out sooner rather than later. I wanted to just enjoy every day for what it had to offer. Because who knew when it would all be over…”

“Louis,” Clementine looked up at him with a sad expression.

“But I don’t want that to be true anymore. I want a future with you. I want countless days like this and to enjoy being home. So I’m gonna get stronger,” Louis down at Clementine, a fiery determination in his eyes, “To protect you and AJ and everyone else here. So we can eventually build that 914 floor purple house.” That statement caused a small chuckle to escape his girlfriend’s lips. “So that we can make this place even more of a home.” His fingers intertwined with hers.

Clementine looked up into Louis’ eyes and saw hope in them. “I want that too. I’ll get stronger as well and then we can protect our home, together.”

“Yeah,” An optimistic smile played on Louis’ lips. “Together.” He leaned forward, his lips brushing against Clementine's forehead. 

The two lay there wrapped in each other's arms, savoring every precious second they had together. Dreaming of a future filled with happiness and warmth until they felt the pull of sleep overtake them.


End file.
